Marian University had a record 732 candidates for degrees this year, including 131 students who received the master of arts in teaching degree from the Marian University Academy for Teaching and Learning Leadership. More than 430 graduates participated in the ceremony.

In an interview with WISH-TV, Dickerson said, "It's the happiest that you could ever have with a sad overtone because he's not here. My son worked so hard for this day."

Photo albums of Commencement are available online for viewing and downloading photos.

Three individuals received honorary degrees during the Commencement Ceremony:

The Honorable Mary Beth Bonaventura ’76 was appointed as the director of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) by Governor Mike Pence in January 2013. Just prior to being appointed to lead DCS, Judge Bonaventura served as Senior Judge of the Lake Superior Court, Juvenile Division. She was appointed Senior Judge in 1993 by then Governor Evan Bayh after having served more than a decade as Magistrate in the Juvenile Court. She received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree.

Vincent C. Caponi is the executive chairman of the board of St. Vincent Health and senior vice president of Ascension Health. Caponi joined St. Vincent Health in 1998, the same year that St. Vincent and St. Joseph Hospital and Health Center in Kokomo formed St. Vincent Health. That network has since grown into one of the largest health care employers in Indiana, and is part of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, the nation’s largest not-for-profit and Catholic health care system. From September 1998 through June 2013, Caponi was the chief executive officer of St. Vincent Health, where he led an integrated health care network of 22 health ministries serving 47 counties in central and southern Indiana. He received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Anthony Joseph Kriech ’75 serves as the vice president of research and development for Heritage Research Group, a company under the umbrella of The Heritage Group. Kriech began his career as a lab technician at Asphalt Materials, Inc., a company under the Heritage umbrella, in 1972 through a summer internship program with Marian College (University). Since 1980, Kriech has held numerous leadership positions within the Heritage Group, and now provides oversight and guidance to Heritage Environmental Services, LLC; Asphalt Materials of China, LLC; Asphalt Materials, Inc.; and, Heritage Research Group. He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree.